Here’s a young lady wearing the same kind of “ruff.” The interior looks very dark; maybe it’s night-time. I wonder if the box at the left is her jewelry box, where she keeps her rings, and keepsakes. She looks sad, and quiet.

“Notes:* This portrait is the earliest known dated work by Rubens. The sitter, aged 26, has not been identified, but has been variously described, on the basis of the objects that he holds, as a geographer, an architect, an astronomer, a goldsmith, and a watchmaker. The watch must be independently significant as a vanitas motif. The engraving of the artist’s name on the back of the copper plate is probably contemporary with the painting and is possibly Rubens’s work.”

Note from Merillion: It looks like this sitter is at a window, with the outer part of his hand resting on the sill. I believe the objects he’s holding are for the concept of the painting, not because he is in the described professions. His fingernails are dirty; his hands appear to be rough. There’s something about this fellow’s eyes – he looks a little sly and a bit mischievous!